Culture Goes Global
by
Robert Gourlay
Thanks to our technology, today we now have better global communication in our world. We have better ways of communicating, and our communication is faster and more effective than previously. Now with things like the internet, we can communicate with people from around the world in a matter of seconds. That is what we call a Global Village. The world now is not big for us; now we can send messages around the world instantly. Having all of this, we can now share different cultures between ourselves and we can create our own global culture.
Every country has its own culture and beliefs. When people talk or communicate from different parts of the world, they are sharing different cultures, but that does not mean that they cannot communicate; it just means that they can share opinions and take advantage of differences. On the internet, for example, there are many cultures, but when you are communicating with someone, you do not know what kind of culture or ideas he or she has. That is the good thing about talking with other people through the internet; it does not matter where they are from or what culture they have, you are still going to communicate with that person. I think that the Internet is making its own culture--just one culture for everyone. It is as if the internet is a whole new world where everybody shares the same thing (the Internet), and it is a place where you can express your ideas to others and also learn from other people. I say that the internet is making its own culture because we are now starting to see new words and symbols inserted into this new "computer environment." We can now see new expressions and new signs which everyone can understand, so it is only one culture. If you go to another country and show your signs, which you normally do in your own country, you may not be understood because the people of this other culture have different signs.
The Information Age will have profound implications for both individuals and organisations. It may be as significant as the Industrial Revolution in providing new opportunities and changing relationships, but it is also likely to bring its fair share of problems. This 'Age' results from the merging of computers with communications systems such as telephone networks, and is often referred to as Telematics. Problems may arise through peoples' lack of knowledge and confidence, together with limited resources, all of which are likely to exaggerate the difficulties different cultures will have gaining access to the new technologies.
